The Other Half of Me
by Arwennicole
Summary: Love is hard, Carlisle Cullen has always been in love with a woman he could never have. What happens when she suddenly comes back into his life asking for help? AU/AH
1. An Ordinary Day turning Unordinary

The Other half of Me

By

Nicole

**Disclaimer: I don't own the _Twilight Saga_ Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Summary: Love is hard, Carlisle Cullen has always been in love with a woman he could never have. What happens when she suddenly comes back into his life asking for help? AU/AH**

The Other half of Me

Chapter 1: An Ordinary Day turning Unordinary

The room was silent as the rare moment of sunlight poured into the bedroom landing on the sleeping man in the bed. Opening his eyes, Carlisle let out a sigh as he lifted up his head to see that his alarm was going to go off in a minute. Turning the alarm off, he got out of bed and went to get ready for the day.

Standing in the kitchen, sipping his coffee, he had come to realize that today was just going to be a regular, ordinary day. He had done the same thing again and again for the last five years since he had transferred to the hospital in Forks. For a man of twenty-five, he had surprised many people in his life. He graduated high school at sixteen and just finished his residency a year ago. His teachers and professors were always impressed with his intelligence and Carlisle was only too happy to be able to pursue a medical degree and to obtain it at such a young age.

After drinking his coffee, he washed out his cup and finished preparing for work.

Walking through the entrance of the hospital, he made his way up to his office. "Good morning Dr. Cullen," his receptionist greeted with a large smile.

"Good morning Sheryl," he answered.

She handed him some notes. "You have a board meeting at one today," she informed.

"Thank you," he murmured, "my charts please?"

Sheryl handed him his medical charts for the day. "Thank you," he murmured. She nodded before he walked down the hall to get started on the day.

After work, Carlisle walked out of his office with his jacket on to find his friend, Jeremiah, standing there. "Hey Carlisle, how about we head to the club and grab a few drinks?" he asked.

"Not tonight Jeremiah, I'm exhausted," Carlisle replied, rubbing his forehead.

"Come on, stop being an old man and come have some fun," the guy insisted as he grabbed a hold of Carlisle's arm and practically dragged him out the door, "come on, Daisy's there and she's been missing you."

Carlisle let out a deep sigh. "Alright," he murmured as he followed his friend out of the hospital.

Arriving at the club, Carlisle sat down at the bar with Daisy on his left with Jeremiah sitting by her. The three of them all had met in college and were all good friends ever since. "You know, I have a friend, Trisha, that would like to meet you," Daisy informed. Carlisle shook his head slowly after he paid for his drink.

"That's quite alright Daisy," he murmured before taking a sip of his drink.

"Come on Carlisle, when was the last time you were on a date?" Jeremiah asked, clapping his friend on the back.

Carlisle glanced at him before taking another swig, the alcohol burning the back of his throat. He hated it when his friends tried to butt into certain situations in his life, his love life being one of them. "I'm not interested, Jeremiah. My job schedule is too busy for a personal life," he replied, placing the bottle back on the counter.

"You go to work at the hospital then you go home. You get days off, I think your job allows you to have a personal life," Jeremiah told him.

Carlisle shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm just not interested in the dating world," he answered, getting quite irritated with the conversation. The couple looked at each other before Daisy stared at him for a few minutes.

"Because of her…right?" she finally asked.

Letting out a sigh, he nodded his head slowly. "Yes, it's because of her," he answered. Daisy rested her hand on his shoulder, giving him a sad smile.

"Carlisle, you should find someone who you can be with," she insisted, obviously concerned for his happiness.

Carlisle let out a deep breath, as he just kept his drink up on the bar, obviously done drinking. He ran his fingers through his hair before glancing at the raven-haired girl beside him. "I don't want to try to find someone. There's no one else for me, it's just that the woman I love is married to someone else," he replied. Wanting to get away from the subject, he got up from his stool, and grabbed his jacket. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to go," he told them, "it's late and I have an early shift tomorrow."

"Carlisle wait," Daisy insisted.

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his keys since all he had was just a couple of sips from his drink. He glanced at his two friends to see that they wanted him to stay, except now he was just irritated and wanted to go home. "You two drive safely," he told them before leaving.

The drive home was long and tedious. All he wanted to do was just have a quick dinner from whatever leftovers he had in the fridge, listen to some music while reading over some of the medical reports in his briefcase, and go to bed just to start his usual schedule all over again.

When he finally pulled up to his house, he got out of the car and hit the alarm once he got everything out. Climbing up the stairs, he went inside to a dark, empty house. Turning on the light, the young doctor placed his briefcase on the counter as he went into the fridge to find something to eat at least. Sighing, he threw leftover pizza on a plate, putting it into the microwave.

Moving into the living room, he was listening to some Beethoven while reading over his medical reports.

The night dragged on and the young man began dozing off with a folder in his lap. He was suddenly jolted awake by someone banging on his door. "What the…" he trailed off, looking at the clock. Seeing that it was 2:00 AM, he rubbed his eyes before getting up. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he murmured.

Opening the door, his eyes widened in horror when he caught whoever the person was in his arms as they fell forward. Sitting back, their head fell back and he let out a gasp of disbelief. "Esme!" he exclaimed.

Seeing that he was unconscious, she closed the door and lifted her up. "Esme, Esme, can you hear me?" he asked, worriedly. Placing her on the couch, he began examining her. The more he saw, the more his heart dropped. Her face was black and blue, her lower lip was swollen and cut. Most of her nails were broken, so it was obvious she was fighting back. Gently holding up her wrist, he saw that it was swollen, mostly likely a sprain than broken. "Esme, Esme, I need you to wake up," he insisted gently, fearing that she had a concussion.

After a minute of coaxing, she let out a small groan as she started waking up. She suddenly let out a gasp, sitting up with a small scream, her head colliding with his. "Ow! Ow, dammit!" Carlisle hissed, holding his now throbbing forehead.

"Carlisle?" she asked, when she realized she wasn't home.

"It's me," he answered, still holding his head.

Esme looked around, fear evident in her face. "Where am I?" she asked.

"My apartment, didn't you realize where you were running to?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly. "No," she replied, letting out a shaky breath. It was obvious that she was terrified. Carlisle held her wrist, making her shout in pain. "Ow!" she shrieked, yanking her arm away.

"Esme, you have a major sprain in your wrist, let me take care of it," he answered.

Getting up, he grabbed his first aid kit from his room and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "Here, let me see," he said gently. Carefully taking her hand in his, he examined the injury. "It's only a sprain," he murmured again as he wrapped it up. She bit her lower lip when he started cleaning the cuts on her face. "Esme, what happened?" he asked.

"I…I fell down the stairs, clumsy me," she answered.

He stared at her, now believing her. "I should go," she murmured standing up.

"It's almost three in the morning, Seattle is no place to be running around this time of night," he answered.

"Well I can't stay here," she answered.

Before Carlisle could ask what was going on, she got up to leave. "Esme!" he called, going after her.

She went to hurry out of the house when suddenly, she stopped. Carlisle stood behind her. "Esme…just stay here for the night. If you want, I'll take you wherever you want to go tomorrow," he insisted. She was frozen, staring a the door. "Please, just stay," he persisted gently. Letting out a sigh, she looked over at him.

"Just for the night," she answered.

Nodding his head slowly, he went upstairs. "Carlisle?" she called.

"Yes," he answered, looking at her.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"You didn't think you were going to sleep on the couch did you?" he asked with a half-grin.

Blushing, she let out a sigh as she carefully followed him upstairs.

After making sure she was comfortable, Carlisle couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. He couldn't help but be curious of why she looked so terrified and how she found him. The last time he saw Esme was high school right before he graduated early and went off to medical school. All these questions were floating in his mind, he could only hope that she would be there in the morning to get some answers.

**Author's Note: My dear, dear loyal readers. I spent the last couple of days struggling with whether or not I could go through and posting this. After the last few reviewers had accused me of being the thief of my own story, I had a hard time deciding whether or not I can keep going, but a good friend of mine reminded me that I have so many supporters. Haters are going to hate, but my supporters never gave up. You guys have been there with me as my life was going through shambles and patient whenever my writing had to go on hold because of my family issues. You have no idea how much each and everyone of your reviews mean to me and will always mean to me. Nothing means more to me in this world than my writing and my loyal supporters who have been here with me from day one. I appreciate you all and this story I dedicate to each and every one of you. All of you. I mean it, you are the greatest readers a writer can ever ask for. Thank you once more. Arwennicole is here to stay I promise you that.**

**Arwennicole**

**PS: To all those haters and accusers, in the words of my favorite band 'Hanson' I just MMMBOPED your face! I won't go down! You can't take me down because I won't let you! It never worked when I first started writing, IT WON'T WORK NOW!**


	2. Wanting Freedom

Chapter 2: Wanting Freedom

Esme woke up, her heart was racing about a mile a minute. Slowly getting up, she pulled on her clothes, hoping to leave before Carlisle got up. Carefully pulling on her shoes, she tried to sneak down the stairs, letting out a gasp when she saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Y-You're up," she stuttered out.

"I'm usually up about this time," he replied, tapping his fingers in the banister.

She stared at him with wide eyes, clearing her throat. "Leaving so soon?" he asked.

"Yeah, you know Charles is waiting. Sorry about last night, I was being chased and I panicked," she replied.

"And the injuries all over you?" he asked.

"I was fighting off my attacker," she replied.

"Maybe I should get you to the police stat-" he started to say.

"No!" she exclaimed, running down the rest of the stairs.

She shook her head, grabbing his arm. "I'm fine, really, it was nothing I'm going to go now, alright?" she asked.

"Esme…" he tried again, but she once again cut him off.

"Carlisle, I'll be alright. Thank you for taking me in last night," she told him.

Standing up on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Goodbye," she said softly.

"Esme, wait," he insisted as he went after her.

"I really must be going, Carlisle. I have an appointment," she informed him, pushing her hair over her shoulder.

Unable to stop her, Carlisle watched as Esme Platt walked out of his life again. Watching her hurry away, he let out a deep breath as a familiar situation appeared in his head like a movie reel playing in his head.

_Carlisle was standing at his locker, hoping his hair looked alright when the door to the school opened. Looking over, he grinned from ear to ear when Esme Platt walked down the hall. She had her hair pulled back in a half-ponytail with a white ribbon tied around it. She was wearing her cheerleading uniform, her arms were filled with her books, and she was walking beside one of her friends, laughing at something she had said._

_Letting out a deep breath, Carlisle walked over to her. "Esme!" he called to her, making her stop._

_"Hi, Carlisle," she said smiling sweetly at him._

_"Hey…um…" he started when her brown eyes hypnotized him._

_"I'll see you later Ez," her friend told her before walking off._

_"Bye," Esme answered._

_Esme looked over at Carlisle again. "So…are you going to the Spring dance?" he asked._

_"Yeah, are you?" she asked as they started walking down the hall together._

_"Well, I'm not sure," he replied._

_"Come on Carlisle, don't be silly. You're a handsome guy, I'm sure there's not one girl that wouldn't just fall over if you asked," she told him._

_"Is that so?" he asked, smiling at her._

_"Of course," she answered._

_Clearing his throat, he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's great because I was wondering…" he started when she looked over her shoulder suddenly._

_"I have to go, bye," she told him as she practically ran down the hall._

_Watching her go, he let out a sigh. "If you wanted to go with me…" he muttered to no one. Lowering his head a little, he turned on his heel and went back to his locker._

Opening his eyes, Carlisle looked down the street where Esme had walked down, feeling another sharp blow to the chest. Letting out a deep breath, he closed the door and went to get ready for work.

After work that night, he met up with Daisy and Jeremiah at the club again. When he explained what had happened, they were looking at him as if he had another head growing out of his shoulder. "You just let her go even though she looked like that?!" Daisy exclaimed.

"What could I do Daisy? She was going to go whether I wanted her to or not. I couldn't exactly force her there against her will," he answered.

"Obviously not let her leave! Find any way to make her stay!" she exclaimed.

"Dais, it wasn't going to do anything. She had her mind made up," he answered.

Daisy shook her head slowly. "Last night you sat here moping over the fact she was married to someone else, she shows up to your house beaten and you do nothing?" she asked.

"I can't do anything unless she tells me to," he answered.

"Her husband is beating her!" Daisy shrieked.

"We don't know that!" Carlisle answered.

"Oh come off it Carlisle and stop being so naïve," she told him, rolling her eyes.

Carlisle let out a sigh. "Charles Evanson was always a bastard," he muttered, "even so, we have no proof. Esme has to ask for help."

"The woman you love is obviously in trouble and you're going to do nothing?" Jeremiah asked in disbelief.

"I have to go by the rules! I'm a doctor not a damn cop," Carlisle answered standing up.

"Okay McCoy, stop being stupid and listen to reason here," Daisy told him.

"She obviously needs help, she's scared and probably doesn't feel like she has anywhere else to go," Jeremiah pointed out.

Carlisle dragged his fingers through his hair, he felt trapped. He wanted to help the woman he loved, but he also had to go by the rules of being a doctor. Sighing, he shook his head slowly before leaving the bar and heading home.

Another sleepless night passed and Carlisle arrived at the hospital. "Good morning Dr. Cullen," Sheryl greeted.

"Good morning Sheryl," Carlisle answered.

"Coffee?" she asked.

"You are a goddess," he replied.

Sheryl smiled as she handed him the coffee. "Your first patient is waiting," she stated.

"Thank you," he answered before going into his office to prepare for his first patient.

Yawning a little, he walked down the hall as he grabbed the chart that sat in the holder on the door. Opening the file as he opened the door, he glanced up to see that it was Esme waiting patiently on the examining table. "Esme…" he started slowly. Esme's eyes were wide.

"Carlisle," she answered startled to see that it was him.

Closing the file, he placed it on the counter beside him. "Um…uh…are you alright? What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I just wanted to get some symptoms looked over," she replied.

Staring at her, he noticed a bruise along her hairline. "Such as bruising?" he asked as he pushed her hair back to look at the bruise.

"I hit my head on a cupboard door," she replied pulling her hair from his grasp.

Carlisle sighed as he started falling into his normal routine. "Mrs. Evanson, it says in your chart that you are experiencing nausea, headaches, and fatigue?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied softly, lowering her head a little as she started twisting her rings around on her finger.

"I think the headache could be from the bruise on your head," he told her, "it could also be a concussion."

Esme's eyes widened at the words. "A concussion?" she asked, "is it a bad one?"

"Well are you experiencing memory loss?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

"Blackouts?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

Carlisle took out his penlight and briefly shined them in her eyes. "Well your eyes are acting normally," he murmured. Rubbing the back of his neck, he cleared his throat. "Mrs. Evanson…" he started.

"Carlisle, could you stop with formalities?" Esme asked.

Staring at her, he placed her chart back on the counter before looking back at her. "Esme, I am a very observant person, you know this. You have known this of me since we were in high school," he commented. She nodded her head slowly, biting her lower lip. "Why are you lying to me?" he asked.

"I'm not lying about anything," she said softly.

"No?" he asked.

She shook her head 'no', making him sigh. "Well…as for your symptoms since you aren't showing any other signs of a concussion I would like to run a scan just to be sure as well as a pregnancy test," he told her. He saw her face grow pale at his last test suggestion.

"A pregnancy test?" she asked.

"Standard procedure," he replied, "especially with the symptoms you've been having."

Sighing, she nodded her head slowly. "Okay," she said softly.

After awhile, Carlisle came back to see Esme waiting nervously on the table again. "Your pregnancy test came back," he told her.

"Yeah…w-what did it say?" she asked.

Carlisle looked at the results again before looking at her. "You're pregnant," he replied. He saw her face grow even paler and saw her trying to take deep breaths. "Esme, relax, relax," he told her not wanting her to faint, "through the nose out the mouth." She started doing what he said, but as soon as she caught her breath, she broke down crying. Tears fell down her face as she put her head in her hands. "Esme what's the matter?" he asked softly.

"Oh Carlisle…you were right," she sobbed, before she suddenly hugged him, "please help me Carlisle, please."

Stunned, he slowly hugged her back. "I've been lying, I'm scared Carlisle, I'm so scared," she sobbed uncontrollably.

"What's the matter?" he asked before stepping back to look at her, "Esme what is it?"

Sniffling, she wiped the tears from her face. "I'm scared to go home. Charles h-he-he's so horrible. He hurts me everyday, if he even finds out I'm here I'm a dead woman," she told him tearfully. Carlisle continued to stare at her.

"Esme…are you telling me he's abusing you?" he asked.

Biting her trembling bottom lip, she nodded her head slowly. "Everyday since we got married," she replied sniffling some more. Carlisle let out a deep breath, trying to keep all his anger bottled up until he got home.

"Do you want to press charges?" he asked.

As she continued to bite her lip, she nodded again. "I'll call authorities they'll help you," he told her.

"Please don't go," she whispered.

Sighing, Carlisle looked back at her. "Esme, I'm not even supposed to be treating you because you are close to me. I have to go by the rules for this," he told her. Nodding her head slowly, she sniffled softly. "You are welcome to stay with me until we can get everything figured out," he told her. Unable to trust herself to speak, she just nodded before Carlisle left the room to let a nurse know that photographs needed to be taken and police were to be called for her statement. He would call someone from the maternity ward to do the ultrasound to check to see if Esme's baby was alright. As of that moment, his job was done and he would talk to her more about what was going on when she was in the safety of his home.

After the photographs were taken, Esme was lying back on the examining table with her shirt pulled up. "Let's take a look here at your baby," the woman stated smiling gently at the scared woman as she brought the machine over.

"Will this tell me if my baby's okay?" Esme asked.

"It should dear," the woman replied, patting her hand comfortingly.

Smiling a little, Esme let out a deep breath as the doctor got everything set up before putting the cool gel on her stomach. "Let's take a look here," she murmured as she placed the scanner on her stomach. Esme stared at the screen. "Ah ha, here we are. From the size of the fetus you're about three months pregnant dear," she informed the young woman.

"Is it okay?" Esme asked, "and I don't see it."

The woman pointed to the screen. "Right here," she replied. Staring at the picture, Esme's heart skipped a beat when she saw her baby for the first time. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time they were happy tears as the news sunk in that she was going to be a mother. Letting out a deep breath, she reached up and touched the screen.

"Hi my baby," she whispered.

"And your baby seems to be doing just fine. Everything is developing as it should," the woman explained.

Smiling, Esme continued to stare at the screen before the woman removed the scanner and started cleaning everything up. "Do you have a place to stay?" the officer who was questioning her asked.

"Um…yes…yes I do actually. An old friend," Esme replied as she fixed her shirt.

The officer nodded. "We will arrest Mr. Evanson and call you if we need anything else," the second officer told her.

"Okay," Esme replied before the officers left.

Letting out a shaky breath, Esme closed her eyes for a second before she rested her hand on her stomach where her unborn child was growing. "I'm going to give you a better life, just like you deserve," she whispered. After the doctor gave her the sonogram, she gathered her things and went to find her way back to Carlisle's home.


	3. From the Beginning

Chapter 3: From the Beginning

When Esme had arrived at Carlisle's home, they really didn't get a chance to speak since she was exhausted from her ordeal. They both ended up going to bed early that night because of the events. The next morning, Carlisle was grateful it was Saturday and he wasn't supposed to be at the hospital. It was great for him because it gave him a chance to speak with Esme.

While he was sitting at the table drinking his coffee, he heard the stairs creak a little. "I have made tea for you, it could help with your nausea," he told her as he looked over his shoulder. She was dressed in a pair of gray baggy sweat pants and a long t-shirt, but to Carlisle she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

"Um…thank you," she answered before she sat down.

"I hope you slept well?" he asked.

Nodding her head slowly, she poked at the lemon that was in her tea. "Yes…I did thank you. I hadn't slept like that in…years," she murmured softly as she lowered her head. Carlisle let out a sigh, feeling his heart break a little more for the woman he loved since he was a kid.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Shaking her head slowly, she sat back in her seat. "Not really, I had been explaining my story since yesterday afternoon," she replied. Reaching across the table, he gently rested his hand over hers in understanding.

"Just know that I am here to talk Esme. You don't have to go through this by yourself," he said softly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Smiling softly, he got up to put his cup in the sink. "I didn't make the dinner he wanted," she blurted out, making him turn to look at her.

"What?" he asked.

"I didn't make the dinner he wanted, that's what made him hit me in the head," she replied as she pointed to the bruise along her hairline.

Carlisle was unsure of what to say, so he just stared at her which he could tell made her uncomfortable. "Sorry…so that's why you ran to my house?" he asked.

"No, that was a different reason," she replied softly.

"Why then?" he asked.

Sighing, she started fussing with the hem of her t-shirt. "I was home late…I had gone out with a friend. I just wanted to release some stress, wanting to forget for just an hour, but an hour turned into three hours. He was still there…waiting for me…" she whispered. He watched her hands begin to tremble as she recounted what happened. Pulling out his chair, he sat across from her again. "I don't remember what happened, he threw me into a wall. I know a vase broke and there was so much screaming, my ears rung because he was screaming so loudly," she whispered, lowering her head.

Esme let out a shaky breath with tears in her eyes. "I remember fighting him this time though. I remember scratching his face," she said quietly, "then when he punched me in the lip that was when I ran out. I ran, I didn't even know I was at your door."

"What gave you the courage to tell me the truth yesterday?" he asked.

Sighing, she rested her hands over her stomach. "My baby," she replied. Letting out a shaky breath, she looked up at him. "I didn't want anything happening to him or her," she said softly. Standing up, Carlisle made his way over to her side of the table and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Esme, you are welcome to stay as long as you need," he murmured.

"Thank you," she said softly.

She ran her hand over her stomach again as she let out a shaky breath. "I want my baby to be safe," she whispered.

"I'll keep you both safe," Carlisle reassured her.

Smiling, she nodded her head slowly and let out a sigh when Carlisle's beeper went off. "Sorry," he told her. Nodding, she watched as he went and called whoever just called his beeper. After a minute, he came back. "That was th hospital, there's an emergency," he told her.

"It's okay, I understand," she assured him, smiling softly at him.

Carlisle gave her hand a squeeze. "I have to get going to work, are you going to be okay?" he asked. She nodded her had slowly, still smiling at him even though inside she was terrified. Seeing that she was terrifed, he hugged her close. Esme hugged him back, wrapping her arms tightly around his back before letting him go so he could leave for the hospital.

Later that day after a day at work, Carlisle arrived home to find that the room looked a little…different. Hanging his jacket up, he looked around when he realized what was different. The furniture was rearranged in the living room. "Esme?" he called out.

"Right here," she answered, walking down the stairs.

Carlisle smiled a little. "I see you changed a few things," he commented.

"Yeah, I didn't really want to venture out. The last thing I needed was Charles finding me and dragging me back home," she answered.

"Charles is in jail, he won't hurt you," he told her.

"His parents have money you know they got him out," she answered with a sigh.

She rubbed her hands together nervously. "I'm trying to figure out how to get him to agree to a divorce without him finding out about the baby," she murmured, "if he finds out he'll do everything to take it away from me."

"Esme he went to jail for abusing you, if you continue to press charges he will go to jail you can get the divorce then," he told her as he sat beside her.

"What if he doesn't agree to it then? Then I'm trapped in a horrible marriage with this man for the rest of my life," she told him tearfully.

Carlisle shook his head slowly. "The courts will grant it, especially in your case because it was abuse," he answered. He rubbed her arm gently. "You're doing such a brave thing Esme," he said softly.

"I shouldn't have married him in the first place," she answered standing up.

"You were young," Carlisle told her as he sat across from her again.

Esme sighed, pushing her hair from her eyes. "I feel so stupid Carlisle," she whispered.

"Don't, because you're not," he answered.

The young woman sighed as she rested her hands over her stomach. "I endangered the life of my baby, what kind of mother does that make me?" she asked.

"You left him, you saved your baby's life," he answered.

Seeing that she had a hard time believing she had saved her child's life, Carlisle stood up and got down on his knees in front of her. "You saved your baby, if you would've stayed you would've endangered the baby's life. You left him, you reported him. You are the strongest woman out there for doing such a thing. A lot of women wouldn't be able to do what you did," he told her. Esme was silent as she stared down at her still flat stomach.

Reaching up, Carlisle caressed her wrists gently and kissed her knuckles softly. Sighing, she touched his face gently. He was just as handsome as she remembered in high school, if not handsomer. Carlisle smiled as he rested his hand over hers. "Come on, you need rest," he murmured.

"Okay," she answered softly.

He held her hand before he led her up the stairs. As he watched her lay down to rest, she looked at him. "Could you lay with me? I don't want to be alone," she said softly.

"Of course," he replied.

Walking over, he moved beside her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her waist gently. She leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes. Carlisle rubbed her back gently and watched as she fell asleep. Sighing, he rested his forehead against the back of her head and fell asleep with her.


	4. First CheckUp

Chapter 4: The First Checkup

Esme was nervous as she sat beside Carlisle in his car as he was driving her to the clinic. "You okay?" he asked, looking at her. Esme nodded her head slowly with a small smile.

"I'm just anxious to see what my baby looks like," she replied smiling.

Smiling, he turned a corner when Esme reached over and gripped his hand in hers. Looking over at her, he held her hand softly and moved his thumb over the back of her hand.

When they arrived at the clinic, Carlisle got out of the car and walked over to Esme's side of the car and opened the door for her. Esme looked up at him and slipped her hand in his. Smiling, he helped her out of the car and closed the door behind her. Hitting the alarm, he held her hand as they went into the clinic.

As they sat in the waiting room, Carlisle leaned back in one of the uncomfortable clinic chairs before looking over at her. "Do you want me to come in or stay out here?" he asked.

"I would like you to come in with me," she replied.

Nodding his head slowly, he reached over and pushed a strand of hair from her face.

When her name was called out, Esme gripped Carlisle's arm nervously as they walked into the room. The nurse led them into a room and Esme sat on the examining table with a nervous expression on her face. "It'll be ok," he assured her softly.

"I know," she replied.

She wrapped her arm around Carlisle's back and pulled him closer. The doctor walked in with a smile. "Good morning, I'm Dr. Franklin I'll be keeping track of your pregnancy," she told them smiling. Carlisle and Esme shook her hands. "So, should we look at your baby?" she asked.

"Yep," Esme replied.

Lying back on the table, she lifted her shirt up and the doctor put the gel on her stomach. "How are you feeling dad?" Dr. Franklin asked.

"Oh I'm…" Carlisle started.

"He's just as anxious," Esme put in.

Standing there surprised, he just held her hand as the doctor placed the little wand on her stomach and turned on the screen. "Let's take a look here," she said smiling. Esme rested her free arm behind her head as she looked at the screen. "Here we are," she told them. Carlisle stared at the ultrasound with wide eyes. "Very healthy baby for ten weeks," she stated.

"Wow…" Carlisle murmured.

Esme smiled through her tears. "So the baby's okay?" she asked.

"Yep, very healthy. Your baby is progressing quite nicely," Dr. Franklin assured her.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Esme asked anxiously.

Dr. Franklin couldn't help but chuckle lightly at Esme's enthusiasm. "You won't be able to tell for another six to nine weeks," she answered, "Nineteen weeks you can get a clearer view of the baby." Esme nodded her head slowly as the doctor cleaned her stomach up. "Alright, just keep doing with what you're doing and remember, keep the stress level down," she instructed.

"Will do," Esme replied as she pulled her shirt down over her stomach.

"Here you go, baby's first picture," she told them, handing them copies of the ultrasound.

They looked at the ultrasounds with smiles on their faces. Holding hands, they left the clinic.

Walking outside to Carlisle's waiting car, Esme stopped suddenly at who was standing by a big, red truck. "Well, looks like you didn't take long to find someone else to take care of your lazy ass," Charles commented. Carlisle glared at him and then he handed Esme his keys.

"Just get in the car," he whispered against the side of her head.

Nodding her head slowly, she didn't even look at Charles as she practically ran to Carlisle's waiting car. "Thought you'd be rotting in jail where you belong," Carlisle commented.

"You know Cullen, you always knew when to put stick your pointy nose where it never belongs," Charles commented.

Carlisle shook his head slowly. "You're not even worth my time, you're still the same as you were in high school," he muttered walking toward his car. Before he could react, Charles grabbed him by the back of his jacket and threw him up against his truck.

"You're still the skinny ass wimp like you were in high school," Charles commented, "Pining after MY girl!"

Carlisle glared and he lifted his fist, striking Charles in the face and forced him to stumble back. "Well I was never a skinny as wimp, you were because you'd have your friends jump be before and after class," Carlisle replied. Charles rubbed his jaw and glared at him. He threw a punch at Carlisle who ducked and his fist collided into the side of his truck.

Grabbing him by the back of his jacket, Carlisle threw Charles to the ground. The two enemies glared at each other and he got up from the ground. Charles had a hold of Carlisle's jacket, and threw him against the truck again. "She's damaged goods you know that right? I got it all while you did nothing but watch on the sidelines with that pathetic puppy dog look on your face," he taunted, "I'm the one who got the cheerleader while you got nothing."

"Then why is Esme with me then?" Carlisle answered.

He kneed Charles in the stomach and then punched him in the face. "For the record Charles, manipulating a woman into having sex and marrying you is not winning," he snapped before kicking Charles in the side hard. Staring at the groaning man, he just glared. "You stay away from Esme, she's through with you and so am I," he added before walking to his car.

"We will see! She can't keep my kid away from me!" Charles answered.

"No court will allow a kid to be in your presence," Carlisle told him before he got into the car without another word.

Esme was staring at him with wide eyes. "I'm okay," he told her as he started up the car.

"I…you…" she stuttered out.

Laughing a little at the shocked expression on her face. "What? That? That's been something I've been wanting to do since high school," he told her with a small grin.

As he drove back to his house, he saw Esme still staring at her ultrasound. "Love…what are you thinking about?" he asked. Sighing, she ran he fingers over the picture.

"I'm scared, what if the courts do let him see the baby?" she asked.

"No court will let it happen, he's beaten and raped you since the two of you started dating," he replied.

She winced a little at the mention of rape and cleared her throat. "Can you not call it that?" she murmured, staring at her lap. Carlisle looked over at her briefly.

"What? That he raped you?" he asked.

Swallowing hard, she looked at her lap. "Esme, you can't let him win," he told her.

"I ran away didn't I?" she asked as they pulled up to his house.

Getting out of the car, she dragged her fingers through her hair. "You ran away but he still has a hold on you," he replied, "He's had his monster claws in you since we were kids." Tears welled up in her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Esme, you're letting him win by trying to deny what he did," he told her.

"I don't want to think about it," she told him, "I don't even want to talk about it anymore."

She walked by him to go the house. "You can't run from it," he told her, turning around to look at her.

He followed her into the house. "You ran away for the sake of your child right?" he asked. Esme sat down and let out a deep breath.

"You know I did," she replied.

"Then you need to fight him for the baby too," he told her.

Sitting beside her, he rested his hand over hers. Swallowing hard, she rested her head on his shoulder. "You have to admit it to yourself," he whispered.

"I don't want to admit what he did to me," she replied.

"Why?" he asked, "It's the truth."

Tears fell down her cheeks as she stood up. "If I admit that he…did that…to me, then I'm scared it'll make me hate my own baby," she answered sniffling. Shaking his head slowly, Carlisle got up and walked over to her and hugged her tight.

"Impossible," he replied.

"How is it impossible?" she asked crying.

"If you truly hated your baby you wouldn't be this worried of hating it. You wouldn't be terrified that he would try to take your baby away," he told her.

Esme cried into his chest and he hugged her close to him. "Just don't leave me…don't leave me alone," she whispered. Carlisle kissed the top of her head.

"I'll never leave…I promise," he whispered, "I'll never ever hurt you, you can always trust me."

Esme rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He rubbed her back, resting his forehead against the top of her head. He was going to protect her and help her through this even if it took forever. It was worth it for Esme.


	5. Trusting you Forever

Chapter 5: Trusting You Forever

Esme sighed as she woke up, she was in Carlisle's house for the last four months. Her child was moving and growing healthily, according to her OBG/YN. She hadn't felt so safe in such a long time. "Esme, do you want anything for breakfast?" Carlisle called from the other side of the door.

"How about my usual?" Esme asked as she sat up.

Carlisle grinned on his side of the door. "Coming up," he answered. She got up and swung her feet over the edge of her feet, letting her feet settle into her slippers. Pulling on her robe, she smiled as she felt her unborn child do a flip inside her.

"Good morning sweetheart," she cooed to her stomach.

Walking down the stairs, she rolled her eyes as Carlisle was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "Carlisle, I think I'm perfectly capable of coming down the stairs," she commented.

"Just being sure," he answered.

He reached over and rested his hand over her stomach. "How's the baby feeling this morning?" he asked.

"Active, smelt your cooking and is wide awake," She replied.

Chuckling, Carlisle led her over to the table and she sat down with her plate of food in front of her. "I normally don't crave meat, but I'm telling you, with this baby I'm just eating any piece of meat I can get my hands on," she commented as she put more sausage links on her plate.

"Usually the cravings are from a certain protein or mineral that the body's lacking," Carlisle replied.

"Hmm interesting," she murmured.

"When's your next appointment?" he asked.

Esme took a sip of orange juice. "Um…Friday at 3," she replied.

"I'll be there," he told her.

Smiling softly at him, she cut another sausage in half, eating the half that was already on her fork. "You don't have to," she finally told him.

"Nonsense, my pleasure, seriously," he assured her.

She gave him a soft smile, looking at her plate. She bit her lower lip as she felt her child move around inside her as she continued to eat.

When Carlisle left for the day, Esme got her books together for her interior design class. She left the house, making sure the door was locked behind her as she walked over to the small Volvo in her driveway. "Really hate it that Carlisle bought me this," She muttered to herself. She put her books on the passenger's seat before getting in. Glancing over her shoulder, she backed out of the driveway and went out to her class.

As usual, her classes went fast. The day was going well, the friends she made at the school were asking her about her baby, she would gladly talk about her unborn child excitedly. As her day went on, however, she suddenly felt like she was being watched.

When leaving her last class for the day, she walked out to see Charles standing there. "Charles!" she gasped, dropping her things in disbelief.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

Quickly, students helped her gather her things. "The court said you're not allowed to be near me," She told him.

"You're my wife! I married you in a Church in front of God and many other witnesses. No piece of paper will change that!" he answered.

Esme tried to hurry out of the school, spotting Carlisle outside waiting for her like he normally had so they could go to dinner together. "Esme!" Charles snapped.

Carlisle was standing by his car when he saw Esme practically run out of the school. "Esme!" he heard someone bark her name. He knew that voice, he knew it all too well. What scared him most was the way Esme spun around at the top of the steps.

"ESME!" he shouted as her foot slipped and she fell down the stairs.

Running over to her, he saw a crowd gathering. "Someone call 911!" he exclaimed.

"Esme! Esme, I'm so sorry," he heard Charles say.

"Get him back before I throw him into the street!" Carlisle snapped as students blocked his path.

Esme woke up and saw Carlisle above her. "Esme, are you okay?" he asked, "Don't try to sit up an ambulance is on the way." She groaned softly, her head hurt, but that's not what made her heart stop. No, what made her heart stop was the fact she was feeling contractions.

"Carlisle…oh my God…" She said slowly.

"What? What's the matter?" Carlisle asked.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm having contractions," she said with a sob, "The baby can't come! It's too soon!"

"It's okay, everything's okay," he assured her, "Just try to stay calm it won't help you or the baby."

"But Carlisle I'm scared, the baby's coming too early,' She said sobbing.

"I know, I know, we're going to get you help," He answered as the ambulance pulled up.

As they loaded her onto the gurney, Charles broke away from the crowd. "Esme! Please believe me! I'm sorr—" he started to say when Carlisle's fist collided with his chin.

"You stay the hell away from her and if that baby dies, you will wish you were dead!" Carlisle snapped.

"Dr. Cullen," a paramedic called out.

Turning back around, Carlisle got into the truck and they drove off to get Esme to the ER.

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor came in. "How are you feeling, Esme?" she asked.

"Scared, is my baby okay?" the young woman asked with tears in her eyes.

"Let's take a look here," the doctor reassured her patient.

She brought the ultrasound closer and the doctor put the wand on her stomach. "Well, your baby still has a strong heartbeat, that's good but I'm afraid the placenta has detached itself a bit from the uterine wall, we need to get this baby delivered immediately it's in distres," the doctor stated.

"What? I'm only at 26 weeks!" Esme exclaimed.

"Just trust me, Esme, everything will be alright," The doctor tried to reassure her.

Carlisle held onto her hand. "I promise, Esme, everything will be okay, I'm staying right here," he assured her as he followed them to the operating room.

Once he was scrubbed up, he walked back into the room to see that the doctor had already started the c-section. Esme was crying softly as he stood beside her. "This wasn't supposed to happen," She said sniffling.

"I know, I know," he answered, kissing her forehead through the mask over his face.

"Alright, I have the head, here we come," the doctor announced.

Taking a peek over the tarp, Carlisle saw the doctor pull the baby out. "Here we are!" the doctor announced as the premature baby let out small screams, "It's a boy!" Immediately the nurses wrapped the baby up.

"I want to see him," Esme insisted.

"We need to get him into the NICU, you'll be able to see him soon," The doctor reassured the mother as the nurses took the baby away.

Esme sniffled as she held onto Carlisle's hand. "Go with him, Carlisle, please? He's probably so scared," she told him.

"I'll see you in your room," he told her.

He kissed her forehead once more before leaving.

Walking into the NICU, he was able to find Esme's son as he was now in his incubator. "So?" he asked.

"He's quite the baby for being 26 weeks, he's almost two pounds, big baby for that age, either he was going to be one huge baby at birth or the doctor was off on how far along your girlfriend is," the nurse commented.

Standing by the incubator, Carlisle looked inside. The baby was still screaming as loud as he could. "Hey, hey," he said softly. Reaching into the incubator, he lightly stroked the premature baby's stomach. "It's okay, I'm here," he assured the baby as he immediately calmed down, "I'm here."

When Carlisle came back, Esme was resting. "Is he okay?" she asked.

"He's tiny, he'll have to stay in the NICU for awhile, but he's strong," he replied.

He sat beside her on the bed and Esme sniffled. "How could I have been so stupid?" She asked, crying.

"Hey, this wasn't your fault," He told her, stroking her hair.

"Yes it is, I put my child in danger the moment I found out I was pregnant. I should've just stayed and none of this would've happened," She answered.

"What makes you think your son would've been safe then? Charles beat you every day, you might not even have a son," he told her.

Swallowing hard, Esme had tears streaming down her face. "Why is this happening to me?" She asked, crying. Hugging her close, Carlisle rubbed her back.

"I promise you, everything's going to be okay," he whispered, rubbing her back.

The next day, Esme was able to get some rest and when she finally woke up, the first thing she asked about was her baby. With the doctor's permission, Carlisle pushed Esme into the NICU in her wheelchair and he let her sit right by her son. "Hi sweetheart," she whispered. Reaching into the incubator, she let the tip of her finer stroke her son's tiny hand. "Oh you're so beautiful! I knew you would be beautiful," she said softly.

"He needs a name," a nurse said smiling.

Esme stroked her son's arm as he opened his eyes, revealing how blue they were. "Look at you my handsome man," she cooed softly. She glanced at the nurse for a second. "Emmett…Emmett Platt," She said softly, "That's your name my precious." The baby just closed his eyes again as sleep claimed him once more. Carlisle rested his hands on her shoulders as they both just sat in silence, staring at the baby in the incubator. All he could do was hope that things would become better.

**Author's Note: Hello my readers I have returned. So sorry I had lost the spark for a little while but now I'm back and got new inspiration after seeing _Breaking Dawn Part 2_. Fricking epic movie! Anyways, hope you all liked the new chapter *smiles*.**

**Arwennicole**


	6. That One Connection

Chapter 6: That One Connection

The days went by and if Carlisle wasn't the one in the NICU, Esme was. He continued to check the baby's vitals, he was strong for being so early.

The first month, Esme was sitting in the rocking chair, stroking her son's arm as with a soft smile. "Hey handsome boy," she cooed softly, stroking his forehead lightly.

"Good morning, Esme," a nurse greeted.

"Hi, how's he doing?" Esme asked, looking at her infant son.

"He's stronger every day, I think the fact his mommy and daddy are here every day help his condition," the nurse replied smiling.

Esme smiled softly. "Ready to hold him?" the nurse asked, taking her off guard.

"I can hold him?" She asked, her heart racing in her chest.

"Yeah, he's stronger now," the nurse replied.

She sat back in the rocking chair and she started undoing the buttons on the blouse she was wearing. The nurse carefully took the baby from the incubator and placed him into Esme's waiting arms. As soon as he was resting on her chest, the tears welled up and one slid down her cheek. "Hello my precious, hello," She cooed softly as she rocked back and forth with her son in her arms, "I love you so much."

Carlisle walked in during his lunch break and saw Esme holding Emmett. "Hey, you get to hold him today," He said smiling.

"Yeah," She replied, "He's strong enough to be held."

Smiling, he held the baby's tiny hand. "He's gaining weight, you have one heck of a little fighter there," the nurse commented smiling at the two of them. Carlisle gently ran his fingers over Emmett's hand as the baby tried to wrap his fingers around Carlisle's pinky.

"Hey, you got a grip there," he said smiling, making Esme laugh a little.

"He'll grow up to be a lawyer or maybe a doctor," she answered.

"A doctor huh? What do you think Emmett?" Carlisle asked.

The baby sneezed in response, making them laugh a little. Esme smiled, kissing her son's forehead softly as they sat in a comfortable silence. "Do you want a turn?" she asked.

"Oh…um…" Carlisle trailed off, taken aback by her suggestion.

"Come on, Carlisle, you've been part of his life before he was even born," she pointed out smiling softly.

Carlisle sat down. "Try the skin on skin contact, I read it helps him stay warm," Esme told him.

"Alright," he answered as he sat back and he undid the buttons on his shirt.

Taking the baby and the blanket, she placed Emmett on Carlisle's chest and the infant wriggled around a little to get comfortable, but once he was resting over the man's heart, he calmed almost immediately. Esme did the buttons back up on her shirt, smiling as her friend rocked back and forth in the rocking chair with the baby in his arms. "He likes you," she said softly.

"Seems like it, he's asleep," he replied.

Leaning back in her seat, she reached over and held his free hand in hers. Smiling back at her, he entwined his fingers with hers as they just looked at the child asleep on his chest.

**(Two Months Later)**

Emmett was finally big and strong enough to be brought home. They pulled up to the house and Carlisle got out of the car as Esme got out on the other side. He opened the door for her so she could unlatch the carrier from the back of the car. Resting his hand in the middle of her back as they walked up to the house, Carlisle opened the door for her. "Your new home sweetheart, at least until mommy can get back on her feet," she cooed to her son.

Hearing those words made the doctor's heart constrict in his chest a little at the idea of her leaving. "Stay as long as you like," he assured her. Emmett opened his eyes and looked around the room curiously. "Yeah, things are different here than at the hospital aren't they?" Carlisle asked the baby smiling. Emmett closed his eyes as he started to fall back to sleep.

"I have that divorce hearing today, did you want to come?" she asked.

"Sure, I'll just stay in the back with Emmett," he replied.

She let out a deep breath. "I'm scared," she said suddenly. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he walked over and hugged her gently. Hot tears fell down her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around his back. "He's going to want my baby," She said crying softly.

"I won't let him touch Emmett," he assured her.

"What if the courts say he gets to have some custody of his son?" She asked.

"It won't happen, not after what he did to you, no judge will give him any custody of that boy," he replied.

Still, the idea of Charles winning again and taking her son away made her break down. Carlisle stroked her hair gently, resting his forehead against the side of her head.

That afternoon, Carlisle sat in the back of the courtroom with Emmett asleep in his carrier beside him. The three-month-old was holding onto the man's hand as if it were his lifeline. Smiling softly, he stroked the baby's hand with his thumb as the hearing went on. "Your honor, my client is asking for joint custody of the child in question," Charles's attorney stated.

"Your honor, I believe Mr. Evanson doesn't deserve any sort of custody of the child whatsoever. We have already presented proof of abuse in the home, and the fact he stalked and harassed my client with a restraining order in place. He was jailed for his crime, yes, but what's to say he won't take the boy and disappear with him?" Esme's attorney asked.

"Your honor, my client has a right to his child, without my client there wouldn't be a child," Charles's lawyer stated.

The judge was silent, going over the court documents. "Is the child in question here?" he asked.

"Yes, your honor, in the back with Dr. Carlisle Cullen," Esme's lawyer replied.

Carlisle stood up. "Here, sir," he said. The judge gestured for the doctor to come closer. Picking up the carrier, Carlisle walked closer to the bench.

"Dr. Cullen, what is your relationship with Mrs. Evanson?" the judge asked.

"She and I grew up together, your honor. We lost touch for a few years, but we were reunited with Mrs. Evanson came to my house beaten and terrified," Carlisle replied.

"Are you and Mrs. Evanson in a sexual relationship?" the judge asked.

Carlisle's eyes grew wide. "No sir, no, I'm just simply a friend helping another friend during a hard time in her life," he replied.

"What does this have to do with the custody of the child?" Charles's lawyer demanded.

"Your honor, if I may. As a doctor, I'm going to give my unbiased opinion of this situation as I would in any other court case," Carlisle stated.

The judge nodded, gesturing for him to proceed. Carlisle set the carrier down on the bench. "Mrs. Evanson has gone through emotional and physical trauma over the last decade of her life. She is emotionally and physically scarred over the abuse that the hospital has presented to you. If a man can harm a woman like this, how do we know he won't harm the child as he grows older? Right now, he's too little to even be transported back and forth, he was born premature and his body isn't as strong as the average newborn. I wouldn't trust this man with a dog let alone a child," Carlisle explained. He could feel Charles glaring at him.

"You may sit down, Dr. Cullen, thank you," the judge answered.

As Carlisle sat down, Emmett began to cry and Carlisle checked his watch and grabbed one of the bottles that were in the diaper bag, feeding the baby as the hearing continued.

When they came out of the courtroom, Esme was holding the carrier now. "You can't keep that kid from me, Esme," Charles snapped.

"You broke a restraining order, you're not allowed anywhere near her," Carlisle answered, "That also includes Emmett."

Charles glared and suddenly Esme let out a gasp when Charles grabbed the doctor, shoving him to the nearest wall. "You can't have her," he snarled, "She's always been _mine_!" Carlisle was calm, staring at him.

"Esme is not property, she is a human being with choices of her own," he answered.

Shoving Charles back, he fixed his jacket. "Come on, let's go," he told Esme as they left.

"Thank you," Esme said softly, holding his hand again.

"I'll always protect you," he answered.

He kissed the side of her head with a smile before they got into the car and drove home.


	7. A Runner

Chapter 7: A Runner

Months passed and Emmett grew bigger and stronger with each day. Esme never felt so safe in her whole life. For the first time ever, she was happy.

When Emmett was eight months old, Esme was in the kitchen when she heard her son let out a high pitch giggle. Looking over, she saw Carlisle sitting on the floor with a little basketball in his hand. Emmett crawled over, hitting the ball, giggling like crazy as the ball bounced in front of him. "You going to be a basketball player?" Carlisle asked as he the baby sat down, hitting his hands on the ball.

Smiling softly, Carlisle touched the little boy's dark curls. He looked over at Esme to see her watching with a gentle smile. He smiled back before he helped Emmett stand up. The eight-month-old let out a little noise, hitting his hands on Carlisle's. "So when do you go?" Esme asked.

"The lawyer said that we have to meet him in the park," he replied.

Nodding her head slowly, she let out a deep breath. Carlisle picked the baby up, putting him into his playpen before walking over to her. "Esme…" he murmured, resting his hand in the middle of her back. Esme turned around slowly and he could see the tears in her eyes.

"I don't like the fact that Charles is persistent about seeing Emmett. He doesn't care, he's doing this to torture me." She insisted.

Carlisle hushed her softly. "I won't let Charles take your son," he assured her. Sniffling softly, she pressed her forehead against his chest sniffling softly. He kissed the top of her head, rubbing her back.

Later that day, Carlisle was at the park with Emmett. The baby was sitting in his lap, letting out little noises when Charles came up. "Hey, son," he greeted. The baby looked up at him with wide eyes, but didn't say anything. "Hey, it's daddy," Charles told him. Carlisle was keeping a light grip on the infant's waist so he wouldn't fall over. "Come here buddy," he said to the baby moving to pick him up.

Emmett immediately tried to back up and let out a little cry of fear. "What's wrong with him? Every single time it's my turn to hold my kid he acts like this?" Charles demanded.

"Maybe, Charles, it's because you tower over him instead of looking him in the face," Carlisle answered.

The other man gave the doctor a glare but then he crouched down in front of Emmett. "Hey, buddy, it's daddy," he told the baby. Emmett just stared at him, stuffing his hand in his mouth instead of doing anything. "What is he stupid or something?" he asked. Carlisle covered the boy's ears.

"Hey, he's not stupid, he's a baby. He's not going to get up and start talking like 'Hey dad, come on let's play'," he said sarcastically.

"Who are you to give me lectures?" Charles spat.

"The guy who brings your kid to see you," Carlisle answered.

Charles gave him another glare and Emmett started whimpering from the tension. "Listen, speaking of visits, I need to talk to the courts, I'd like to take Emmett to Texas, to see my parents," he stated.

"I don't think so, you're still a flight risk," Carlisle answered.

Emmett was staring up at Carlisle, his hand reaching up and grasping the collar of his shirt. "My mom wants to see her grandson," Charles insisted.

"Well, you can discuss that with the courts, but they'll ask my opinion and I still say you're a flight risk," Carlisle answered.

Charles was watching as Emmett was reaching for a pen that was in the doctor's pocket and gurgled excitedly when Carlisle held a pacifier up to him instead. "He's just a baby who's still nursing, you're not going to be able to get an out of state trip," he added.

"You can't keep my kid from me," Charles spat.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep Emmett and Esme safe, so far you haven't proved anything to me to give the courts a reason to give you such a trip. You yell at Emmett, you call him 'stupid' or 'retarded' because he's a baby learning how to do things. You scare him all the time, if I had it my way you wouldn't have Emmett at all," Carlisle explained.

Just then, his watch started beeping, signaling that their time was over. "With that, we need to get home," he added. As Carlisle was getting Emmett back into his stroller he suddenly heard a click behind his head.

"I'm taking my kid, Cullen," Charles spat.

Before Carlisle could even turn around, there was a loud bang and Carlisle hit the pavement. Emmett's blue eyes grew wide and his tiny hands reached for the fallen man. Charles walked over, grabbed Emmett, and left while Carlisle lied unconscious on the blacktop.

A few hours later at the hospital, Esme was rushing in with the police there to stop her. "Where's Carlisle? Where's my son?" she asked panicked.

"Ms. Platt, I need you to sit down please," an officer answered.

"Where's Carlisle?" she asked.

"Mr. Cullen is in surgery right now," the officer answered.

"Where's my son?" Esme asked.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. "Where's my baby?" she asked with tears in her eyes. The officers looked at each other before looking at the terrified woman.

"We're still searching for your son," the first officer replied.

Feeling like she was kicked in the stomach, Esme fell to the floor. "No…no…no…no…_no_…NO!" she screamed in horror, rocking back and forth. The officer who was speaking to her tried his best to reassure the hysterical woman.

"We're doing whatever we can to find him, Ms. Platt," he assured her.

Esme wrapped her arms around her middle with a sob, her hands on the sides of her head as she kept rocking back and forth on the floor. "We need to put an Amber Alert out on the baby, we need you to give us any information you have," the officer told her. Feeling sick to her stomach, the young woman sat back in her seat and looked at the officers.

"Emmett's 8 months old…he has dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. I had dressed him in little Nike sneakers, blue jeans, and a t-shirt that has a big teddy bear on the front of it. He's big for his age, he looks like he should be 12 months old instead of 8 months," Esme explained.

"Do you have a picture?" the officer asked.

Esme shakily reached into her purse, removing a picture of Emmett from Christmas, showing it to them. "We'll find him, Ms. Platt," the officer reassured her before they went to get this out to every officer in town to find her missing son.

After what felt like forever, Carlisle was finally out of surgery. He was lying on his side in the hospital bed when he saw Esme sitting beside him. "Esme?" he murmured.

"I'm here," she answered.

She gripped his hand tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered. She shook her head.

"It's not your fault," She answered.

Standing up, she rested her forehead against the side of his head with a sob. Carlisle reached up, wrapping his arm around her back as they both cried over the fear of never seeing Emmett again.


End file.
